After back-to-back Team Penske wins, NASCAR heads to ISM Raceway’s one-mile horizontal trail in Phoenix for the fourth race of the year.

Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are riding streaks of eight top-12 endings dating back to last season, but both drivers are going to take a backseat to the recent dominating performances of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch in Phoenix.

Harvick (9/4) and Busch (7/2) have the shortest odds to win Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500 and both won at the course last season. This weekend, even when Harvick were to triumph, he would join an elite group, becoming only the sixth driver in series history to win 10 or more Cup Series races at one track; joining Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Jimmie Johnson, David Pearson and Dale Earnhardt.

MORE: Odds to win 2019 NASCAR Cup Series championship

In three of the last four Phoenix races, Busch has headed 359 laps, including 117 in his triumph during last season’s playoffs — the first under the new arrangement of the track.

Phoenix’s track is comparable to Richmond and New Hampshire and it’s no surprise both Harvick and Busch have experienced similar success at these racks. Busch has won the previous two races at Richmond and 2017’s fall race in New Hampshire. Harvick won the most-recent race at New Hampshire and has finished in the top five in five of the past six races in Richmond.

But unlike in these preceding races, all motorists will be using a new car setup implemented by NASCAR, another from that which we saw the last two weeks in Atlanta and Las Vegas. This season, teams may utilize a tapered spacer — and no aero ducts — for the very first time. They will use a engine in Phoenix rather than their 550-horsepower engine at Vegas. NASCAR hopes to see a car using a quicker response time around the throttle. The new package could close the gap Busch and Harvick have had on the field.

So far in 2 races with NASCAR’s slightly differing rules bundle, Ford contains five consecutive stage wins and has led 65 percent of the laps. Harvick’s teammate, ford motorist Aric Almirola, will soon be a sleeper motorist to observe this weekend. He was third at New Hampshire’s similar design last season, fifth at Richmond and fourth last year’s fall race at Phoenix. Almirola is 20/1 to win on Sunday and we like him in a matchup with Kyle Larson at -110.

MORE: The way to win at betting on NASCAR at 2019

Curious to win 2019 TicketGuardian 500 in Phoenix

Odds Supplied by Westgate LV SuperBook

Kevin HARVICK 9/4
Kyle BUSCH 7/2
Brad KESELOWSKI 7/1
Joey LOGANO 8/1
Martin TRUEX JR 10/1
Chase ELLIOTT 10/1
Denny HAMLIN 15/1
Kyle LARSON 20/1
Aric ALMIROLA 20/1
Clint BOWYER 25/1
Erik JONES 25/1
Kurt BUSCH 30/1
Ryan BLANEY 30/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 50/1
Austin DILLON 50/1
Alex BOWMAN 50/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 50/1
Daniel SUAREZ 60/1
Ryan NEWMAN 100/1
William BYRON 100/1
Daniel HEMRIC 100/1
Paul MENARD 100/1
Ryan PREECE 200/1
Chris BUESCHER 200/1
Matt DIBENEDETTO 200/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 500/1
Ty DILLON 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 2000/1
David RAGAN 2000/1
FIELD (others) 500/1

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The first of four scheduled trips to Virginia is on Sunday, March 24th Using the 71st running of the STP 500 at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.

The Martinsville Speedway is the shortest trail in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The STP 500 is the first of two races with the second one being the very first Data 500 in the NASCAR Playoffs.

Clint Bowyer won the race this past year and this season, another loaded field is set to go into the race with various drivers that can definitely win the occasion. Let’s take a peek at who the oddsmakers think are going to function as drivers to observe this weekend.

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Kyle Busch is the betting favorite to win against the STP 500. After winning the Ticket Guardian 500 in Arizona last March 10th, Busch maintained the pace with another victory at the Auto Club 400 at California. With back to back wins in the last two weekends, no wonder Kyle Busch deserves to be the +162 favorite here. Busch has finished no lower than 6th place in six out of his last seven races overall and as soon as it concerns the STP 500, he won here in 2016, finished runner-up from the past two decades and has put at least 5th in each of his last seven appearances here at the Martinsville Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr. set 8th a week at the Automobile Club Speedway. The 2017 Dragon Energy NASCAR Series Cup champion has five Top 10 finishes in seven races this year including three in the Top 5. Heading to this weekend, Trues has finished no worse than fourth in his last three races in the Martinsville Speedway.

2017 winner Brad Keselowski has put at least 6th in four out of the last six looks at the STP 500. Keselowski also enjoys racing at the Martinsville Speedway as he has finished no lower than 5th in six out of the last eight races .

Joey Logano finished next to Busch at California last weekend however while he came up short again, Logano has three Top 5 finishes already this year, including a win in the Pennzoil 400 final month in Las Vegas. It is interesting that he’s won just once here in Martinsville Speedway but that success came in his last race , the First Data 500 past October 2018.

Denny Hamlin has not picked up a victory because his victory at the Daytona 500 final season but he’s surely been consistent. Hamlin is a 6.8 ending in his first five races this year and is doing a fantastic job holding his own at the Drivers Championship. Hamlin has won here thrice, the last being in 2015, with just Richard Petty, Darren Waltrip, and Rusty Wallace winning more than him. He also holds two victories at the Martinsville Speedway while hurrying in the Camping Truck World Series.

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The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team located in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league’s first eight teams, the team play their home games at TD Garden, which they discuss with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The Celtics are among the most successful teams in NBA history; the franchise has won the most championships in the NBA with 17, accounting for 23.9 percent of NBA championships because the league’s founding. [8][9]
The Celtics have a notable rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won 16 NBA championships, next behind the Celtics. The competition was highlighted through the 1960s and 1980s. The franchise has played with the Lakers a record 12 times in the NBA Finals (such as their latest appearances in 2008 and 2010), of which the Celtics have won eight. [10] Four Celtics players (Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens and Larry Bird) have won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for an NBA record total of 10 MVP awards. [11] Both the nickname »Celtics » and their mascot »Lucky the Leprechaun » are a nod to Boston’s historically large Irish people. [12]
The Celtics’ rise to dominance began in the late 1950s, after obtaining center Bill Russell in a draft day trade in 1956, who’d become the cornerstone of their Celtics dynasty. Directed by Russell and celebrity point guard Bob Cousy, the Celtics won their first NBA championship. Russell, along with a talented supporting cast of future Hall of Famers including John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, Satch Sanders, and Bill Sharman, would usher the Celtics into the greatest period in franchise history, winning eight consecutive NBA championships throughout the 1960s. Following the retirement of Russell in 1969, the Celtics entered a period of rebuilding. Directed by center Dave Cowens and point guard JoJo White, the Celtics returned to championship grade, winning two NBA titles in 1974 and 1976. The Celtics returned to dominance in the 1980s. Directed by the »Big Three » that featured Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, the Celtics won the 1981, 1984, and 1986 championships. After winning 16 championships throughout the 20th century, the Celtics, after fighting through the 1990s, climbed to win a championship in 2008 with the assistance of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen in what had been known as the new »Big Three » era.
Following the win in 2008, general manager Danny Ainge started a rebuilding process with the help of head coach Brad Stevens, who led the Celtics to a return to the playoffs from 2015. During the next season, the Celtics clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but were removed in the Conference Finals. This prompted a competitive reconstruct in 2017, where the group obtained All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. [13] However, the group struggled with injuries throughout the 2017–18 season, and the team was again defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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Best seed outlook: On paper, the Midwest appears to be the most open of those four regions, but we nevertheless give No. 1 North Carolina the greatest odds, using a 35 percent probability of reaching the Final Four and an 18 percent likelihood of appearing in the national championship game. Those odds are at least 8 percentage points lower than any other No. 1 team in the field, though, and for good reason: North Carolina’s crime is dependent on turning every play right into a fast break. The Tar Heels struggle to get to the free-throw lineup and give up a slew of shots across the perimeter, which, at a slowed-down, half-court matchup, could be rather problematic.
After getting waxed by Duke to open the season, No. 2 Kentucky has caught fire in recent months while discovering equilibrium on both ends of the floor and largely abstaining in the 3-point line. No. 3 Houston, meanwhile, is in the middle of its best season since Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon were revolutionizing college basketball, and they boast a defense which ranks among the very best along and inside the perimeter.
Sneaky Final Four select: No. 5 Auburn. When the Tigers steamrolled Tennessee 84-64 in Sunday’s SEC title game, it likely got the attention of a lot of bracket-pickers. That was not a one-off — Auburn also conquer Tennessee eight days before, a portion of a series of eight straight wins for the Tigers, and 10 in their past 11 games. Having an explosive offense (No. 8 in KenPom efficacy ) that acquired more of its points from downtown compared to every other team in the NCAA field, Auburn can heat up in a hurry. We give the Tigers nearly a coin-flip’s odds of making the Sweet 16 — and also a very solid 37 percent likelihood of beating top-seeded North Carolina when the Tar Heels are awaiting Auburn there. The only kryptonite might be a hypothetical regional-final matchup with No. 2 seed Kentucky, which defeat the Tigers from 27 in late February to sweep their season collection.
Don’t bet on: No. 4 Kansas. The Jayhawks went into the season ranked No. 1 in the AP’s preseason poll, and they appeared to validate that the option by starting the season 10-0. However a 15-9 record (and some critical injuries) since then have cast doubt on Kansas’s NCAA Tournament possible. This really is a well-balanced group, but to state it doesn’t shoot well from the exterior is a understatement — see KU’s 3-for-18 functionality from profound in Saturday’s Big 12 ouster against Iowa State. Insert a negative draw that sets them on a potential second-round collision course with Auburn (see above), and also we give the Jayhawks only an 8% chance of making out of the Midwest with their championship hopes undamaged.
Cinderella see: No. 11 Ohio State. In case a Big Ten team which has made 11 Final Fours can be a Cinderella, then you are looking at it in those Buckeyes. (Hey, the committee’s rising tendency to con underwhelming power-conference colleges this manner really contrasts with the definition.) OSU went only 18-13 during the regular season, was defeated its second Big Ten tournament game and contains nearly two times as many losses as wins because New Year’s. Why are the Buckeyes a possible Cinderella? Despite the seed, this is still a dangerous group, one which ranks 27th from Pomeroy’s corrected defensive ratings and has celebrity forwards Kaleb Wesson back out of suspension. So perhaps they will provide Big 12 champ Iowa State trouble. But mainly this tells you something about another potential Cinderellas in this area: Seton Hall got an extremely tough first-round matchup with underseeded Wofford; none of the other low seeds are world-beaters. That leaves the Buckeyes, a team which did all it could to perform its way from the tournament, but includes some upset potential regardless.
Player to watch: UNC, Cameron Johnson On a group that doesn’t hoist a ton of shots from the perimeter, Johnson is as deadly as they come. Observing an injury-riddled campaign in which he made more than one third of his looks from outside the arc, the graduate student is canning 46.5 percent of his attempts, which ranks inside the top 25 nationally.
Johnson has thrived in North Carolina’s every-possession-is-a-transition-opportunity plot this year. He’s blossomed into one of the best scorers in the ACC, standing between the 85th and 100th percentiles in scoring efficiency in transitionoff displays and on spot-ups.
Johnson has elevated his game in conference play, boasting the ACC’s top offensive rating (132.5) and accurate shooting percentage (64.6). Unexpectedly, a participant who was not seen as a guaranteed professional now projects for a second-round pick.
Likeliest first-round upsets: No. 9 Washington over No. 8 Utah State (49 percent); No. 10 Seton Hall over No. 7 Wofford (37 percent); No. 11 Ohio State over No. 6 Iowa State (33 percent)
Have a look at our latest March Madness forecasts.
CORRECTION (March 18, 2019, 3:10 p.m.): A former version of this story misstated the number of Sweet 16s created by Villanova in recent seasons. Although the Wildcats have reached the NCAA Tournament’s »third round » in four of their past five seasons, that around was the Round of 32 before 2016 due to NCAA naming conventions.

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